What is it?
“The Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) teaching method and school curriculum centers on open-ended yet highly-structured discussions of visual art, significantly increasing students' critical thinking, language and literacy skills along the way.” (“Visual Thinking Strategies”)
- Teachers use artworks and imagery to start a dialogue.
- Teachers facilitate discussion amongst students being neutral and unbiased.
- Students lead discussions.
- VTS fosters a respectful, safe environment to express opinions and ideas. (Smith, 2008)
Research
- Created and researched by Abigail Housen and Phillip Yenawine
- Began research in 1988 (Thompson)
- Aesthetic Development Interview (ADI) utilized to study over 4,000 subjects
- Subject is shown various artworks
- Interviewer does not ask guiding questions, only invites subject to talk
- Interview is recorded, then dissected, then categorized into domains
- Secondary information like portfolios and journals also used
- Stage Theory (5 stages) (“Visual Thinking Strategies”)
Implementation
- Teachers ask three questions: “What's going on in this picture? What do you see that makes you say that? What more can we find?”
- Teachers use three techniques while students discuss:
1) Paraphrase
2) Connect
3) Focus
- Students will:
1) Observe
2) Discuss
3) Defend
4) Listen
5) Accept diverse viewpoints (“Visual Thinking Strategies”)
What is it?
“The Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) teaching method and school curriculum centers on open-ended yet highly-structured discussions of visual art, significantly increasing students' critical thinking, language and literacy skills along the way.” (“Visual Thinking Strategies”)
- Teachers use artworks and imagery to start a dialogue.
- Teachers facilitate discussion amongst students being neutral and unbiased.
- Students lead discussions.
- VTS fosters a respectful, safe environment to express opinions and ideas.
(Smith, 2008)
Research
- Created and researched by Abigail Housen and Phillip Yenawine
- Began research in 1988
(Thompson)
- Aesthetic Development Interview (ADI) utilized to study over 4,000 subjects
- Subject is shown various artworks
- Interviewer does not ask guiding questions, only invites subject to talk
- Interview is recorded, then dissected, then categorized into domains
- Secondary information like portfolios and journals also used
- Stage Theory (5 stages)
(“Visual Thinking Strategies”)
Implementation
- Teachers ask three questions: “What's going on in this picture? What do you see that makes you say that? What more can we find?”
- Teachers use three techniques while students discuss:
1) Paraphrase
2) Connect
3) Focus
- Students will:
1) Observe
2) Discuss
3) Defend
4) Listen
5) Accept diverse viewpoints
(“Visual Thinking Strategies”)
References:
Kang-O'Higgins, Y. (Performer) (2012). Visual thinking strategies public seminar [Web].
Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48JVXb2PCrM
Robertson, K. (2006). Visual thinking strategies for improved comprehension. Retrieved
from http://www.colorincolorado.org/article/13279/
Smith, F. (2008, October 08). The eyes have it: Potent visuals promote academic
richness. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/visual-thinking-strategies-art-curriculum
Thompson, J. (n.d.). Visual thinking strategies. Retrieved from
http://contemporaryartscenter.org/visual-thinking-strategies
Visual thinking strategies. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://vtshome.org/
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